


Medals

by Ilyasviel



Series: MEFFW Drabbles [5]
Category: Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: 10 Years After the War, F/M, Happy TeN7Day, N7 Day, Post-Reaper War, Remembrance Day, Reunions, Speeches, n7 graduation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-07
Updated: 2017-11-07
Packaged: 2019-01-30 20:50:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,231
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12661170
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ilyasviel/pseuds/Ilyasviel
Summary: My little tribute to celebrate the N7 days and the ten years anniversary celebrations ;)"Ten years have passed since Shepard activated the Crucible and put an end to the Reaper war. Hackett has fought to see this day, and here they are, ready to promote the first batch of N recruits. And she will be there, in more ways than planned."





	Medals

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to all the fans who keep the fandom alive with all the fics, arts, comments, videos...
> 
> As always, no beta reading, all the typos are my own ;) I'm not even an English speaker, so be nice with me and point me to them if you find any ^^ The first version was published on Tumblr, this one has suffered minor editions ^__^
> 
> Hope you enjoy it!

Sunlight bathed the yard of the Villa. The big area is filled to the brim with recruits, families and press. The first batch of the new N recruits is ready to graduate and get their new ranges, and the new Alliance wanted to make the party as big as possible. Hackett has chosen the day wisely. Ten years ago, the war against the Reapers ended with the sacrifice of many, and he wanted to remember every single soul during that celebration.

 

The heavens seem to be in the mood to celebrate with them because as soon as the high-rank officers begin to climb the stairs of the atrium installed on one side of the yard, the clouds opened, bright sun shining over them. Hackett walks in front of them, with long strides, until he reaches the dais, the white sheet covering the statue beside him catching his attention while the rest of the group moved behind him. The recruits had been in parade the full time, waiting for their superiors to talk. For the first time since its foundation, the Villa has been the home of the various races of the Milky Way. After the Reapers invasion and the combined efforts to repel them, they discovered that they are even more powerful together. The Citadel will never be again what it was, and after the role played by humanity in the salvation of the whole Galaxy, they have decided to establish the Command Center of the new Allied Federation on Earth. And of course, being Hackett who he was, he suggested unifying the Special Task Forces of each race in a single unit. Strangely, they have accepted the idea, and four years after the cataclysm that destroyed the relays, the first group of recruits arrived at the Villa.

 

Kaidan’s voice distracts him from his thoughts, returning him to the present and the hundreds of eyes looking at him, expectant. “Admiral, whenever you want.”

 

With a nod, he steps behind the dais, connecting the speaker system. “Today, I stand in front of the best this galaxy has to offer. You are the best warriors, engineers, biotics and pilots. You were destined to be more than you were, and here you are, the first graduates of the N School of Special Units and Tactical Forces.” Some of the families congregated on the terraces around the yard exploded in cheering and claps for some seconds, but it ended as quickly as it has begun. “You will have the honour of wear the same insignia as the heroes of the war. You will write your name beside the ones who gave their lives to save all of us, to give us a future to live.” His hand reaches for the covered statue beside him, grabbing the sheet in his fist. “You will wear the insignia of the thousand soldiers who died during the Reaper war, on Earth, on Thessia, on Palaven, on Tuchanka—" His voice breaks a bit when he looks up, to the shining star over his heads that is the empty hulk of the Citadel. “You will wear proudly the same colours and rank than Major Coats, Admiral Anderson, Commander Shepard.” Nothing but the sheet flapping in the wind breaks the silence. “You will join the ranks of the best of the best. Soldiers!” The full assembly stands in parade, saluting him, even the high-rank officers on his back and the retired soldiers among the families. With a hard pull of his arm, the sheet falls, uncovering a silver statue of the mighty Commander, no helmet on her head, long locks flying back in the wind. A reproduction of the Normandy at her back landing off, a sniper rifle leaning on her hip while she smiles to the crowd. Even Hackett, having been there when they designed, created and installed the statue, feels a clutch of pain and regret around his heart. Returning his attention to the crowd, he returns the salute. “You will wear her colours, her rank. Our Commander, Jane Erin Shepard, who was, in the words of a beloved friend, _‘bigger than life and much more than we deserved’_. Soldiers, the time has come to show the universe that her greatness was not a singularity. Rise and shine, serve with honour, make her proud!”

 

The roaring of the yard was deafening. The units are screaming their battle cries, families roaring and clapping around them, the guarding soldiers shooting salvos to the sky. Hackett let the moment end by itself. They are celebrating their lives as much as Shepard's, and they deserve it. After that, Alenko and the other admirals helped him to put the insignias from the lowest N2 to the higher N6. An hour after his discourse, the last of the N6 leaves the atrium. A lonely figure appears then from the Villa HQ. A woman, around Hackett’s age, wearing a captain uniform, walks to the atrium with a little box in her hands. The woman smiled to Hackett and Kaidan, and the red hair and green eyes make their hearts cry. The woman positions herself beside the Admirals, standing proudly between the two powerful man, touching the box lid lovingly. When the woman gives them a nod, Hackett moves back to the dais, “We have another rank to give, one that is well deserved and we have been waiting to give for a long time. The first N7 after the Reaper war.” All the soldiers and high ranks among the crowd look around, searching for a queue of who can be that soldier. “Major James Vega, step forward!”

 

James is the first surprised by the words, standing near the admirals in the atrium. Kaidan winks at him when he moves closer, and his breath got caught in his chest when he stops in front of Hannah Shepard. The same green eyes he loved looks at him from a different face. The statue of her shining under the sun behind them. Hackett steps closer, and Hannah opens the lid of the box, showing a ragged N7 insignia. “One of the last wishes of the Commander was to give you her N7 insignia the day you reached that rank. And the day has finally come, Major. You have served with honour, fighting against the odds in more battles than one can count in a lifetime. Exceeding the expectations of every one of your commanding officers, and later of your subordinates. You have served your flag with honour, sacrificing more than anyone here can fathom.” Picking up the insignia from the box, while Hannah Shepard steps aside and leans against Kaidan, who puts a supportive arm around her shoulders. “An N7 can’t be trained. It must be forged in the fires of battle and defined by their own decisions. Until this day, you have surpassed yourself in every mission. Knowing that your integrity as a soldier is doing that thing which is right when no one is looking. Your deeds have led you to this place, Major Vega, under the watchful eyes of the recruits.” Hackett puts the insignia on James’ dress blues, clasping his hand when he finishes with it. Turning to the recruits in front of the atrium, Hackett returns to the dais, while James goes back to his spot near the rest of the Admirals, hand touching the insignia lovingly on his chest. “Ten years ago, in this very same day, I encouraged all our races to fight together. We needed a colossal enemy like the Reapers to put aside our differences and think like a single race. The enemy pushed us, believing we will break. But we relented. We stood and fight. And we won. Part of my words can be repeated today. Whatever the universe throws at us, we will prevail. Each of us will be defined by our actions.” He looks to the statue’s face, saluting it, and the rest of the yard do the same, the non-military personnel and families touching their hearts in respect. “Stand fast. Stand strong. Stand together.” Hannah Shepard can’t fight the tear rolling down her cheek, but he brushes it aside with the back of her hand, smiling lovingly to James, eyes moving to the insignia on his chest. 

 

A lonely figure leans against the wall at the far end of the yard. A dark-haired woman, with a prosthetic hand and leg, a patch in an eye and some ugly scars covering the few skin visible under the black hoodie she wears. Her eyes move over the buildings, a soft smile on her face recognising corners she loved. She just stays there, standing or seating on the ground during the long ceremony. When they uncover the statue, she chuckles, attracting some looks from the guards near the door but ignoring them with shrug and a husky _‘I knew her’. S_ he returns her attention to the atrium, while Hackett, Kaidan and the other admirals put the insignias to the recruits uniforms. Knowing what is coming, she moves closer, still near the walls. When James’ name is called, the man in question stands from the back of the atrium. Even at this distance, she can see how well he fills his dress blues, and a lazy smile appears on her face, watching how they put the N7 insignia on him. After another little speech from Hackett, the admiral dismiss the recruits, concluding the ceremony. 

 

The soldiers and families around her begin to walk away, leaving the yard in groups to move the party to other places. But the lonely figure stays in the same spot, eyes fixed on the atrium and the persons on it. Hannah turns, like sensing her gaze, and waves to her, taking Hackett’s arm and guiding him back to the HQ. Kaidan turns to look at her too, and with a big smile, jumps from the atrium, beckoning a surprised James to follow him. They move closer to the lonely figure, and James takes in the little details of her. The metallic shine of the prosthetic limbs, the dark curly locks covering part of her face. But when he is close enough to look at her, he stops breathing. Kaidan hugs her, raising her from the ground and making her turn around with him while giggling. “It's so good to see you outside that hospital.”

 

She smiles back when he puts her down, but instead of looking at him, she bore her gaze on the surprised James. “Is glad to be outside.”

 

James feels like thunderstruck. He will recognise that green eye everywhere, that husky voice, the lopsided grin… “I must be dreaming.”

 

Closing the distance to him, she offers her left hand, the one that is not artificial, waiting for him to take it. When he didn’t, she just let it fall, avoiding his gaze and turning to face Kaidan. “I told you it was a bad idea, K. I’m going back to the apartment. See you later.”

 

Shepard is turning over her heels to leave when a pair of hands capture her, stopping her movement. A soft voice, barely a whisper, sounds behind her. “How is this possible?”

 

“Do you want the long or the short version?” She looks over her shoulder to find him with a deep frown on his face, keeping more distance than necessary. “I’ve been in a coma for years. No one knew who I was. No armour, no dog tags, no hair, and more scars than skin when they found me. I wake up two years ago, not knowing who I was, with a broken body and some missing parts. Six months ago, after all my physical therapy, I was free to go. And as soon as I begun to wander the streets of London, the memories begun to flow. I contacted my mum, then Kaidan and Garrus, and I was about to contact you when Kaidan explained me about the ceremony and how cool will be to surprise you with, well, me.” 

 

No more than two heartbeats later, James' arms are wrapped around her, hard enough to hurt if the warm feeling of his hug didn’t erase any other feel. “Tell me I will not wake up again to find you are not here.”

 

Raising her cold metallic hand to his face, she cupped it, tilting her head to plant a soft kiss on his cheek. “I’m here, and I don’t have any intention to leave for as long as you want this cripple girl beside you.”

 

Turning her over her heels to face him, he pulls her against his body, hands fixed on her back, lowering his face slow enough to give her the time to move away. But as soon as their lips are sealed, the world around them disappears. Any sound, any feeling, outside their kiss, is suppressed from their minds. It was like coming back home. Like the first day of summer, the first ray of sun after a cloudy winter. The first snowflake. The first sip of a good wine. It was perfection. They kiss until a soft cough from Kaidan enters their cloud of happiness, making them giggle when they break the kiss. James cups her face between his hands, fixing his eyes in the sparkling pool of emerald green of her eye. “It is really you. Damn, Lola, it is the greatest present I ever had.”

 

“Happy N7 day, my love.”


End file.
